Tim

I caught Eilen Jewell and her band at The Iron Horse in Northampton over the weekend. The house was packed and enjoyed an opening set by Sarah Levecque and her band, who played their own brand of country/rock/blues. After a short break Eilen and the band came on stage all dressed in black. She went up to the mic and said, “We’re not going to beat around the bush”, and launched into two great songs from the new album, Sea of Tears & Rain Roll In. She had the audience in the palm of her hand and did not lose them the rest of the night. Eilen was in high spirits and her voice was perfect. Ace guitarist Jerry Miller was incredible all night long. His lightning quick runs up and down the fretboard during his solos elicited an ovation from the crowd after each one! Jason Beek on drums and backing vocals and Johnny Sciascia on upright bass were as solid as a rock. Highlights were: Sweet Rose, Shakin’ All Over, I’m Gonna Dress In Black, Rich Man’s World, Dusty Boxcar Wall, High Shelf Booze, Fading Memory.
For the encore Sarah came out and did a duet with Eilen on Loretta Lynn’s “Honky Tonk Girl”. After this Eilen did a great version of the traditional song “If You Catch Me Stealing”, which was once recorded by Bessie Smith. It was a great night of music, and all I can say is this band has been together now for quite awhile and they are tight! They’ve just embarked on a tour which is criss-crossing the States. In September & October they will be touring throughout Europe. If they come near your neck of the woods check them out.

Great to see your report, Bob. I thought we saw something special last night. Stoger, I guess I asked for it, but I’m going to be seeing Susannah again tonight for sure! I’m up here in Burlington; just got back from a ride downtown and by Lake Champlain. Like Lefty said, it is definetely a Republic. The drivers don’t have anything on the pedestrians’ here, they just walk right in front of you at every intersection.
As far as closing with “For What It’s Worth”. Just before “World Without Tears”, Lucinda talked about hearing on the news that they caught terrorists in Amsterdam. She wondered what the world is coming to when in such a peaceful country that this is happening. She mentioned that they had to go to Australia and maybe Europe after this. She said, “What do we do? Do we cancel the tours? I think everyone just has to be brave.” So she played “WWT”. After that she conferred with the band, came to the mike and said she wanted to end the evening on a more positve note. Hence, FWIW.